Source: BrightVibes

Picking up litter made fun and easy with this walking stick

In Amsterdam’s ?? City forest, you can now borrow “Cleanwalk” canes, a walking stick and trash picker in one. This service should be offered everywhere; enjoying nature whilst cleaning it up. “It‘s not my litter, but it’s my planet”

Picking up litter in Amsterdam is fun and easy with this walking stick

“We are here at the clean walk station, lending walking sticks and trash pickers,” says social entrepreneur behind the scheme, Thijs Verheugen. “People can borrow them so they can go for a nice walk, enjoying nature. And when they walk into a can or a bottle they can then prick it up. It remains stuck on the stick. That’s what we designed it for. And when you get back, you can easily drop it in the waste bin, contributing to yet one less piece of litter.”

A walking stick and litter picker in one handy tool to make hiking more fun and the environment waste-free.
CleanWalk Walking Stick A walking stick and litter picker in one handy tool to make hiking more fun and the environment waste-free. Source: cleanwalk.info

Solving the litter problem together with nature enthusiasts

“We get loads of great feedback actually; nothing but positive. People like how it looks and enjoy walking with it.” says Verheugen

“We also observe the other people noticed these people, who then respond positively as well. So they compliment the others and that way we get as many people as possible involved.”

“It’s our ambition to clear nature reserves from litter and by that, we mean litter that is spread in remote nature where cleaners hardly come, but hikers regularly pass. So we try to solve that problem together with nature enthusiasts. We could put these everywhere. On the one hand by borrowing, but the canes can also be bought by individuals. so if someone thinks… ‘I like this, but I want to help nature everywhere’, then you can decide to buy one.”

“It all starts with you. That is how you change something in your consciousness, you pay more attention to it, also in daily life.”

Amsterdam city authorities are very happy with the initiative. The attention and awareness that it raises is valuable to them, and they appreciate it. The canes are used pretty extensively, not only by hikers but also by families with children, who this idea really appeals to.

If you want to offer the CleanWalk walking service to hikers in your nature reserve 

or if you want to own one yourself please contact Thijs Verheugen: 

thijs@cleanwalk.info | 0031 (0) 6 29 05 71 71

How do you keep your surroundings clean? Check out #itsnotmygarbagebutitsmyplanet

The walking sticks are stored in a mobile CleanWalk storage rack. The storage rack contains a waste bin, information about the CleanWalk walking service and useful information about walking tracks in the nature park. The storage rack is mobile and can be set up inside or outside the visiting centre of a nature reserve.
CleanWalk storage The walking sticks are stored in a mobile CleanWalk storage rack. The storage rack contains a waste bin, information about the CleanWalk walking service and useful information about walking tracks in the nature park. The storage rack is mobile and can be set up inside or outside the visiting centre of a nature reserve. Source: cleanwalk.info
Hikers and families are loving the canes The canes are used pretty intensively not only by hikers but also by families with children, who this idea really appeals to. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

Learn more about the CleanWalk scheme and how you can get your hands on a CleanWalk cane

Dear nature lover, the most beautiful natural environment is litter free. That is what CleanWalk wants to achieve in all nature reserves across the world with the CleanWalk walking stick. A walking stick and litter picker in one handy tool to make hiking more fun and the environment waste-free. Find out more.

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